Source: SA deportee duped of US$600 – herald
Yeukai Karengezeka-Chisepo-Court Correspondent
A MAN from Harare has appeared in court for allegedly defrauding a South African deportee of US$600 after falsely claiming that he could have his one-year entry ban lifted.
Humfrey Chogugudza (43) appeared before a Harare magistrate facing fraud charges.
He was remanded in custody pending a bail application today.
The State alleges that the complainant, Gift Nyakuromba, was deported from South Africa on June 17, 2026, and was subsequently slapped with a one-year ban from re-entering the neighbouring country.
On the same day, Nyakuromba reportedly went to the South African Embassy in Belgravia, Harare, to inquire about having the ban lifted.
Embassy officials allegedly advised him that the application had to be made online.
It is the State’s case that as Nyakuromba was leaving the embassy, Chogugudza approached him and falsely claimed that he had the capacity to process the upliftment of the ban.
Chogugudza allegedly demanded US$600 from Nyakuromba, which he received after promising to facilitate the process. However, the ban was not lifted and no such process was completed, the court heard.
The matter allegedly resurfaced on August 28, 2026, when Nyakuromba returned to the South African Embassy.
According to the State, Chogugudza approached him again and repeated the same claims.
Nyakuromba reportedly raised the alarm, leading to Chogugudza’s arrest by authorities at the scene.
The State alleges that Chogugudza’s actions caused Nyakuromba actual prejudice of US$600, with none of the money having been recovered.
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